Published according to the true Original Copies. Unto which is added, Seven Plays, Never before printed in Folio...The Fourth Edition, fourth folio edition, complete, fourth state engraved frontispiece portrait of the author by Martin Droeshout above Ben Jonson's address To The Reader facing title, title issue with Chiswell omitted, small woodcut device, woodcut initials, frontispiece laid in with repair to inner margin suggesting possibly from another copy, title with 3 closed repairs slightly affecting text and border at title and imprint small paper repair to lower margin, damp-stain affecting inner margin of A1 to G3 to varying degree (only impinging upon border/text up to B1), D4 with small ink splash marks, a few minor burn and rust marks, M1-M2, M6 & N3 with light damp-stain to lower margin perhaps indicating from a different copy, small hole/paper flaw to lower fore corner slightly affecting border, Ee3 with manuscript signature, Ee3 & Ee4 with small hole to text with slight loss, Gg1 water-stained at lower margin, small closed tear to foot of Ii1-Ii2, 150mm section of Ii4 fore-edge margin torn away affecting border and slightly affecting text on verso, a few other minor marginal tears, Oo1 signature corrected by hand, small hole to Qq6 with no loss, small closed tear to lower margin of Yy6, Zz1- *Aaa1 lightly water-stained at foot, *Bbb6 with 2 small closed tears and one small section of loss to lower margin, small closed tear to foot of *Ccc2, small worm-holes/track affecting fore-edge margin of Bbb2 to end, Kkk4 with closed tear ascending into text from foot, light ink staining to Kkk6 and immediately following pages to lesser extent, paper flaw to lower edge of Ooo4, water-staining to lower margin of Yyy1 & Yyy6, closed tear to inner margin from foot of Aaaa4, light spotting to last 2 ff., last f. cut down and mounted with some loss to blank area at foot and some crease-marks, bound in full modern calf, spine with raised bands and titled in gilt, [Wing S-2915; Greg III pp.1119-21; Pforzheimer 910], folio, Printed [by Robert Roberts and others] for H.Herringman, E.Brewster, and R.Bentley, 1685. *** The last of the 17th century editions of Shakespeare's collected plays, with Droeshout's famous portrait of the author as frontispiece. This copy would seem to be composed from one or more other copies, but is scare to find so complete and in such relatively good order. The edition was considered by early 18th century scholars as textually superior to the preceding ones, but this view altered considerably under the scrutiny of Samuel Johnson and Edward Capell who favoured instead the First Folio, considering the derivative Fourth Folio to in fact be the most corrupt of all the Shakespeare folios.
Published according to the true Original Copies. Unto which is added, Seven Plays, Never before printed in Folio...The Fourth Edition, fourth folio edition, complete, fourth state engraved frontispiece portrait of the author by Martin Droeshout above Ben Jonson's address To The Reader facing title, title issue with Chiswell omitted, small woodcut device, woodcut initials, frontispiece laid in with repair to inner margin suggesting possibly from another copy, title with 3 closed repairs slightly affecting text and border at title and imprint small paper repair to lower margin, damp-stain affecting inner margin of A1 to G3 to varying degree (only impinging upon border/text up to B1), D4 with small ink splash marks, a few minor burn and rust marks, M1-M2, M6 & N3 with light damp-stain to lower margin perhaps indicating from a different copy, small hole/paper flaw to lower fore corner slightly affecting border, Ee3 with manuscript signature, Ee3 & Ee4 with small hole to text with slight loss, Gg1 water-stained at lower margin, small closed tear to foot of Ii1-Ii2, 150mm section of Ii4 fore-edge margin torn away affecting border and slightly affecting text on verso, a few other minor marginal tears, Oo1 signature corrected by hand, small hole to Qq6 with no loss, small closed tear to lower margin of Yy6, Zz1- *Aaa1 lightly water-stained at foot, *Bbb6 with 2 small closed tears and one small section of loss to lower margin, small closed tear to foot of *Ccc2, small worm-holes/track affecting fore-edge margin of Bbb2 to end, Kkk4 with closed tear ascending into text from foot, light ink staining to Kkk6 and immediately following pages to lesser extent, paper flaw to lower edge of Ooo4, water-staining to lower margin of Yyy1 & Yyy6, closed tear to inner margin from foot of Aaaa4, light spotting to last 2 ff., last f. cut down and mounted with some loss to blank area at foot and some crease-marks, bound in full modern calf, spine with raised bands and titled in gilt, [Wing S-2915; Greg III pp.1119-21; Pforzheimer 910], folio, Printed [by Robert Roberts and others] for H.Herringman, E.Brewster, and R.Bentley, 1685. *** The last of the 17th century editions of Shakespeare's collected plays, with Droeshout's famous portrait of the author as frontispiece. This copy would seem to be composed from one or more other copies, but is scare to find so complete and in such relatively good order. The edition was considered by early 18th century scholars as textually superior to the preceding ones, but this view altered considerably under the scrutiny of Samuel Johnson and Edward Capell who favoured instead the First Folio, considering the derivative Fourth Folio to in fact be the most corrupt of all the Shakespeare folios.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
